No Peace Sign Injury for Stephen Garcia

We know you’re shocked, but Stephen Garcia of the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes didn’t injure his fingers giving a peace sign.

The story that circulated Tuesday after it was reported by the Montreal Gazette is not true, according to WJBF-TV, which cited Alouettes director of communications Charles Rooke on Wednesday.

As the story went, the former South Carolina QB hurt his two fingers giving a peace sign while getting off the team bus recently, according to the Gazette, which cited the team and said that Garcia was placed on the one-game injured list last week.

The report said that Rooke told it to the reporter as a joke. However, it came off as a true story. WJBF-TV said the reporter said that all teams hide players with “bogus” injuries - suggesting that he believes the team official was joking as well.

“Who knows? The guy’s the fourth-string QB,” the reporter said, according to WJBF-TV. “For me, it’s a non-issue.”

Garcia had been suspended from the Gamecocks five times during his college career but was reinstated prior to the 2011 season after Steve Spurrier said that he had done enough to earn a spot back on the roster – provided that he could stay on the straight and narrow.

But Garcia wasn’t able to as the signal-caller was dismissed from the team in October of 2011. Garcia threw for 3,059 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2010 while helping South Carolina to the SEC Championship Game.